e to the farther corner of the chamber, and the
boys walked slowly down to the drift, halting a short distance from the
mouth of the slope as Sam picked up a shovel.

"Here's another tool belonging to the company. It must have been thrown
away by Billings or Skip when you dropped on their heads."

"Keep it to show we've been hunting; it can't be long now before the men
come, and we'll need some good excuse for loafing here."

"Let's sit down till we hear them. I'm tired enough to want a rest."

Seated on the decaying timbers of the car track the boys discussed in
whispers the possibility of aiding Skip to escape from his unenviable
position, with never a thought of the deed with which Billings was to
crown his villainous career.

The leader of the mob had immediately begun to look about for a chance
to wreak his vengeance on the company, when Joe and Bill with their
helpers left the level, and he was yet at the farther end of the passage
when the boys returned with supplies for Skip.

Their desire to avoid attracting the attention of the workmen caused
them to move noiselessly, consequently he was ignorant of the fact that
they were in the mine.

It was hardly five minutes after they descended to the old drift when he
came back to the cutting, and the odor of gas brought him to a stop.

"Them fools broke through after all," he said, examining the earth piled
up at one end, "an' I reckon they found out it wasn't safe to work much
farther on that course."

One of the shovels was standing against the side of the excavation, and
with this he dug a portion of the dirt from the hole made by Bill's
pick.

The foul air rushed through with such force as to nearly suffocate him;
but instead of being disappointed he appeared overjoyed.

"I couldn't a' fixed things better in a week's solid work, an' I'll take
the chances of gettin' out."

Enlarging the aperture by pushing the earth through between the braces
while he covered his mouth and nose with his blouse, he crept back to
the drift, unfastened his cap-lamp, removed the safety screen, and
placed the light in the passage after raising the wick a trifle.

Just as these preparations had been completed the faint sound of the
whistle could be heard from above.

"It's astonishin' what luck I'm having," he muttered. "I can get out
while the day shift are leavin', an' ten minutes will be enough to fill
this level so full of gas that no power can prevent an explosion."